Politicians weigh in on Chick Fil A

Politicians are weighing in on the controversy over Chick Fil A and same-sex marriage after the chicken chain president announced this week that he supports traditional marriage.

Same-sex marriage opponents cheered the Georgia chain for standing its ground and continuing to hold conservative values despite pressure from liberals and the mainstream media, while some supporters of same-sex marriage say they won’t frequent the chain because of the company president’s public comments on the issue.

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Richard Tisei, a candidate who would be the first Republican congressman to come out prior to an election, said the chain and its leaders have a right to their opinions, but told POLITICO that “nowadays most Americans recognize that in this country, everybody should be treated equally and fairly under the law.”

Tisei, who is running to unseat Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney, said he’s not likely to eat at Chick Fil A anytime soon.

“Hearing his comments, I wouldn’t be that excited to go there,” he added. “I probably wouldn’t even go to that restaurant chain. I’ve never heard of it. But they’re entitled to their own opinion as long as they treat all their customers fairly.”

Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts, a conservative Republican, cheered the chain, saying that “in America, you can be religious and also run a business according to your conscience.”

”I commend Chick-fil-A for running a family-oriented business model for over 65 years,” he wrote in a blog post for the political arm of the conservative Family Research Council. “I also commend their president for exalting the traditional family structure, as our country has since its inception. We are free to express our beliefs in this country.”

The fervor over the restaurant’s politics began when Chick Fil A president Dan Cathy said earlier this week that Chick Fil A is “guilty as charged” in support of “the biblical definition of the family unit.”

“We are a family-owned business, a family-led business and we are married to our first wives,” Cathy said in an interview with Baptist Press.

Chick Fil A’s Christian culture has been widely discussed and panned. The chain closes on Sundays – to the chagrin of many customers – because the founder, S. Truett Cathy wanted a day to attend church and spend time with his family.

The restaurant released its own statement, which appeared aimed at mitigating a brewing political firestorm, saying that “going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”

“The Chick Fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” the statement said.

Online, Cathy’s comments sparked a frenzied between those who supported the owner’s comments and others, who support same-sex marriage rights and called for a boycott of the restaurant chain.

And in Boston, Cathy’s comments led the city’s mayor to go so far as to say he’d fight to keep the chain out of the city, as he believes it to be at odds with Boston’s values.

“Chick Fil A doesn’t belong in Boston,” Thomas Menino told the Boston Herald. “You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion.”